Collaroy Plateau Physical Culture Club, which is affiliated with the Edith Parsons School of Physical Culture, has been a part of the Northern Beaches community for over 30 years.
In the early years of the club it was taught by several different teachers before coming under the instruction of Kristen Munro who began teaching physi in 1983.
Kristen herself was a student at the Narrabeen Physical Culture Club and continued her participation in this club for a number of years, whilst at the same time enjoying teaching at Collaroy Plateau.
Kristen was a much loved, highly respected and dedicated instructress who had great success with her students over her 18 years of teaching before retiring at the end of 2001.
It was difficult to replace Kristen, however the club continued under the direction of a dedicated committee of physi ladies and two highly-involved instructresses, Barbara Sullivan and Helen Hines.
Barbara began her physi life as a member of our Ladies’ class and then taught the junior girls aged from 3 to 12 years old for ten years. She was a highly motivated teacher and devoted a lot of time to our club, physi becoming an important part of her life. She had great success with her girls who all came to love Barb and appreciated the personal attention she gave to all of them. It was with sadness that we reluctantly accepted Barb’s resignation at the end of 2011 in order to spend more time with her ever-increasing family. However she will remain an active member of our club as she will still be attending our Ladies’ class.
Helen has been involved with physi for more years than she cares to remember!
She was a member of various clubs of the inner western suburbs as a child and teenager before becoming a teacher with the Edith Parsons School of Physical Culture in her early twenties. Upon her marriage and subsequent move to the northern beaches she taught the highly-successful Narrabeen Physical Culture Club for 12 years, from 1979 to 1991.
Helen then retired from teaching but not from physi, being elected as the President of the Board of the Edith Parsons School of Physical Culture, a position she has now held for 20 years.
When Kristen retired in 2001, Helen was persuaded to make a comeback to teaching, taking over the older girls and Ladies’ classes at Collaroy Plateau, whilst still maintaining her duties as President of the School.
Helen will continue to teach our members from 13 years upwards whilst one of our very experienced Senior Girls, Alice Hanna, will begin teaching our junior girls in 2012.
To find out more about the Edith Parsons School of Physical Culture and the founder of the School, Miss Edith Parsons (affectionately known as ‘Teach’) click the link on the bottom of this page.
